In many ways, this is a placeholder episode, yet after last week's embarrassment, it's possible it's the most strongly-written of the season; there's no better evidence for this theory than the fact that Quinn apologizes for his behavior, and he and Deb have a conversation that's actually both mature and bearable and THANK GOD that relationship appears finally to be completely over.
Colin Hanks is spending time with his sister, and tells EJO that he wants nothing more to do with him, so EJO seethes that he'll carry on God's work for the both of them. Meanwhile, the girl from last week turns up to the police and, while she doesn't explicitly say she only heard one person there, does say that she "heard" from Colin Hanks that "the Professor" referred to her as "the Whore," like CAN WE STOP DRAGGING THIS EJO IDIOCY OUT NOW PLEASE. Oh, and also, "they" made her drink what we know to be Colin Hanks's blood, which is just fantastic. EJO seems to let Colin Hanks go, and I'm sure we all believe that will stick, what with him being a figment of his imagination.
Brian is apparently the new, or at least the temporary, Harry, as you might have expected, but while he talks even more than Harry does, he's at least a bit more fun. Under his tutelage, Dexter screws some jailbait at a convenience store and then steals her gun so he and Brian can have some fun shooting stop signs and other stuff over which dead/alive brothers enjoy bonding. But did I mention the part where he never shuts up?
Deb tells Dexter that Trinity is back and has killed his wife and daughter. Knowing that's impossible and hearing that Jonah, Trinity's son, conveniently "survived the attack," Dexter feigns emotional turmoil at the news so he has an excuse to take some time off work and track Jonah down, but he is sincerely distressed by the idea that Jonah, who loved his mother and sister, becoming a killer might bode badly for his own son's development.
He tracks down Jonah in Nebraska, who hilariously greets him with "Hello, Dexter Morgan," and Jonah informs him that after the news coverage of Rita's death, he and his family knew that "Kyle Butler" and Dexter were one and the same, but since he had obviously tried to help them, they kept their mouths shut to the FBI. However, Jonah lies through his teeth about his father; we'll ignore the part where some pot-growing motel owner inconveniences Dexter and focus on the part where he shows up Jonah's lies and then most satisfyingly informs him that he killed his father. Also, after Dexter offs the inconveniencing pot-grower in a rather un-Code-like way, there is a most hilarious send-up of the painting "American Gothic" that will be sure to up the episode's grade by at least half a letter.
Jonah then calls Dexter for a meeting, and while Dexter thinks that Jonah means to kill him he still goes to meet him. It turns out, though, that Jonah wants Dexter to kill him, and things aren't what they seemed – his mother blamed the kids for Trinity's disappearance, as after everything he put her through, she was still in love with him, and the mental anguish proved so hard for Becca, the sister, that she killed herself. When Jonah found her body, he beat his mother to death, and for that, he feels he deserves to die. But even with Brian egging him on, Dexter won't do it, and banishes the memory of his brother from whence it came, allowing Harry back into his life in the process. You guys, Mos Def would be so proud! Well, except for the part where he killed that guy with a pitchfork.
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As Dexter stands on his boat in daylight, DVO tells us that he's been lost before, when Rita died and when Lumen left, and first off, we jumped forth a year after Lumen left so it's hard for me to feel too broken up on Dexter's behalf about that one, and also I'm sure Rita who was DEXTER'S WIFE and who BLED TO DEATH IN A BATHTUB would be thrilled to know that Dexter is putting her right up there Lumen, who...was on Season Five.
Anyway, Brian, who's apparently the Dark Side stand-in for Harry, notes that Dexter doesn't seem thrilled about his kill, prompting Dexter to intone that "Brother Sam" (that's Mos Def, ICYDK) had hoped that he would forgive Nick instead of strangle-drowning him. As they dispose of Nick's body parts in those garbage bags of which we used to see so much more, Brian counters that "you don't turn the other cheek, you slice it," and I can forgive the misappropriation of that saying (given that Dexter does not slice his own cheeks) or the hammy delivery, but not both, especially considering he follows this up by saying that Brother Sam didn't know Dexter like "Brother Brian" does. I mentioned that I liked this actor, Christian Camargo, as Brian the Ice Truck Killer; I should have known that that would be irrelevant, as he isn't playing Brian so much as a scenery-chewing audience-winking devil you wish Dexter would flick off his shoulder, and when I said this episode was the most strongly-written of the season, it's almost completely in spite of the Brian parts, not because of them.
Dexter tells Brian he's glad he can stop pretending, and Brian whispers sweet nothings into his ear about how they can keep going, but before I can really start visualizing these two as the dead/alive brother version of Thelma and Louise, Dexter's phone rings, and it's Deb, who asks him to come to the station immediately, and by the way, there is a really silly directorial choice in having the camera show a close-up of Brian making faces while Dexter's on the phone, like, he's Dexter's projection; when Dexter isn't paying him any attention he shouldn't exist. I know the actor is physical; shoot around him. Similarly, Dexter feels the need to tell Brian that they'll "talk about this later," as if they're actually talking at all, but at least this results in Dexter driving off...
...into the next scene, but not before we get an establishing shot of Miami Metro, like WHERE THE FUCK ELSE DO WE THINK HE'D GO, and also WHERE THE FUCK DO THEY THINK WE'D THINK DEB'S OFFICE IS LOCATED? Good shows don't do this; it's asinine.
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